


Benji- Secret Santa

by cad_av_er



Category: Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (Cartoon)
Genre: Benji - Freeform, Christmas Fluff, F/F, Gift Fic, M/M, Mistletoe, Mutual Pining, Secret Santa, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, darilynn if you squint, oblivious idiots, yasammy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:01:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28329426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cad_av_er/pseuds/cad_av_er
Summary: Ben and Kenji aren't exactly what you'd call "subtle". They can't keep their feelings for each other a secret from anyone except each other, something that exasperated their friends to no end.Finally, Brooklynn, Darius, Yasmina and Sammy decide to take matters into their own hands.
Relationships: Kenji Kon/Ben Pincus, Yasmina "Yaz" Fadoula/Sammy Gutierrez
Comments: 10
Kudos: 104





	Benji- Secret Santa

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that the person receiving this gift enjoys it! I know I definitely had a lot of fun writing it and I hope you appreciate it!! Happy holidays, my loves!!!

Brooklynn’s house was pretty big.

Although Kenji was used to much bigger, more open, and definitely more expensive spaces, there was something to be said about going to his friends’ houses. Rather than an air of breakable, uncomfortable costliness, he enjoyed the sentimentality that he felt around them and the places they lived. 

Everyone in their group knew that Kenji loved them. He had a big heart and was truly glad to have met them (despite the circumstances). So when he was sleeping over at Brooklynn’s house for the umpteenth time, accompanied by Darius, they were surprised to see him so zoned out.

~~

Ben was not helping bake cookies.

Yasmina didn’t really like baking (except for the end-product), so the only times Sammy had someone to cook with was when Ben or Darius came over (Kenji tried to help once and was subsequently banned from using the oven). Sammy was excited to cook with someone and be able to talk during the process, but Yaz was in the living room, hanging out with Sammy’s siblings, and Ben was focused intently on his phone. 

“Having trouble with someone?” Sammy asked, trying (and mostly failing) to hold back a harmonious giggle.

“What? No! I’m not talking to anyone… what makes you say that?”

Maybe it was how much you floundered over that answer. Or it could’ve been that blush?” Sammy teased lightheartedly before laying off to be genuine for a moment. “You don’t have to be so defensive, Ben, you know we’d do anything for you.” She gestured to Yaz in the other room. There was an unspoken understanding that the gesture extended to the group members who weren’t present.

“Thanks, Sammy…” Ben smiled solemnly, “it’s, uh… it’s a boy. I’m having boy troubles…” his voice was soft and the way he avoided looking her in the eyes was anything but subtle.

“I’ve been there, don’t worry. Well, not boy problems; I’ve had girl problems is what I mean.” Sammy was trying to be nonchalant; she remembered clearly how it felt to come out like this and never wanted people to make a big deal out of it.

“Oh… cool, cool.” Ben suppressed his grin as much as he could (which wasn’t very much) and glanced back down to his phone, hastily typing a reply to whomever he was having boy problems with.

“Yep. Now would you put that down and help me out here?”

~~

“Truth or dare, Kenji?” Brooklyn asked him. Kenji, who’d been very engrossed in a text conversation, didn’t realize they were playing a game. Not wanting to be caught ignoring them, he fumbled for an answer. 

“Uhhh… truth.”

“Who are you texting?” She replied quickly, her tone was a mixture of accusational and smug. Kenji wondered for a moment if she was omniscient. 

“Nobody!” He denied quickly, knowing that she’d see right through it. Kenji never was a good liar, and even the best of the best couldn’t fool Brooklynn. 

“Well,  _ nobody _ must be a very special person to you and I hope that someday, you’ll tell us all about them.” Darius didn’t want Kenji to feel pressured to talk to them, but he knew Brooklynn would get an answer and figured it’d be nice to give him at least a little bit of calm before the storm. 

“As if we don’t already know everything there is to know,” Brooklynn mumbled under her breath.

“What was that?” Kenji furrowed his eyebrows, partially out of confusion and partially out of nerves. 

“Kenji, everyone knows you like Ben. It’s never a secret when you two are texting! You both have quiet little giggles you think are hidden and it’s even worse when you’re in the same room together; between the  _ looking _ and the  _ blushing _ and the sort-of-but-not-outright _ flirting _ . Neither of you are good at hiding it from anyone except each other!” She ranted, rolling her eyes for effect. 

“I think what Brooklynn is trying to tell you is that we’ve all been through a lot together. We’ve been friends for a long time and we know each other pretty well. We love you, and nothing, no matter how terrible or embarrassing it seems, will change that…” Darius trailed off, looking (for a moment) like he was debating something in his head. “ _ Especially  _ with Ben.”

Kenji stared down at his hands, nibbling his bottom lip nervously. “I don’t want things with Ben to change but… well, I really want things with Ben to change. Y’know?” He sighed, taking a moment to think of a better way to put it. “I really,  _ really _ like him. And I want him to like me too, that’d be amazing. I just don’t want to lose our friendship in the process. What if he rejects me? Or what if he doesn’t reject me and it ends up not working? What if us dating would throw off the entire group’s dynamic?”

“Kenji, we can’t definitively prove to you that Ben likes you back, but I truly think that if you asked everyone in the group, they’d tell you he does. You guys are best friends, I highly doubt you’d let a little breakup tear you apart. Even if you had to break up, which I’m sure you wouldn’t, you two both value your friendship too much to let it stay awkward for long. And, if I’m telling the truth, if you guys started dating, not much would change. I mean, with the flirting and you two always pairing off, the dynamic would largely be the same.” Brooklynn reassured him easily, like she had known what his worries and insecurities would be, and prepared a response for each and every one of them. “If you truly like him, and you want to take a chance, I don’t see any real reason why you shouldn’t.”

~~

The cookies were in the oven, sending a gentle aroma of sweet, warm comfort throughout the (mostly) empty house. Ben sat in a large, cushy armchair in Sammy’s living room while Sammy and Yasmina made themselves comfortable on the couch.

Sammy’s mother, father, and abuela took the kids out on a little day trip, allowing the three teens to enjoy the spacious ranch by themselves. As they soaked up the warmth from the 

heater, the ever-extending collection of blankets, and a few mugs of cocoa, they collectively decided that it was time for them to make a blanket fort.

“Ben, you come and get blankets and pillows with me, Yaz can strip the couch of its cushions while we’re gone,” Sammy ordered in a way that made it feel more like a friendly suggestion. As she led Ben toward the other side of the house, she considered how to carefully bring up the topic of Ben’s boy problems once again.

“So, this boy of yours…” she started, cautiously, “do I get to know anything about him yet” Her tone was soft and reassuring, making sure Ben knew that he wasn’t obligated to share.

“That depends,” Ben replied casually.

“On what”

“Whether or not you’re going to tell me about your girl problems.” He smiled innocently, though Sammy had a feeling he knew exactly what he was talking about.

“I think I’d have to discuss that with the girl in question before I say anything. A lady doesn’t kiss and tell, you know.” Sammy grabbed a bundle of blankets and pillows from the shelf in her closet. “Grab that from the bed,” she pointed to the bed with full arms, her hands peeking out just enough for Ben to see.

“I can handle this if you’d like to go back and… y’know… talk to Yaz.” Ben bit back a smirk and folded up the bedding, stacking it neatly as he went. Sammy, taking the hint easily, rushed back to ask Yaz a pretty important question.

Yaz had taken all of the throw pillows and cushions off of the couch and arranged them neatly on the ground. She’d also moved some chairs into the optimal position to drape a sheet over to form the roof of their fort.

“Looking great, darlin’,” Sammy praised both her work and her face in one fell swoop. 

“Thanks, babe.” Yaz pressed her lips together to keep from smiling too widely. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to having a girlfriend like Sammy. Sammy set her supplies down on one of the chairs and took a seat on the couch, gesturing for Yaz to do the same. “What’s up?” Yaz asked. 

“Do you think…” Sammy took both of Yaz’s hands in her own before continuing, “do you think we’re ready to tell the others? We’ve been going steady for a while and I think this is the next step if you’re ready.” Yaz considered this for a moment, and Sammy figured she’d sweeten the deal. “I’m pretty sure if we tell Ben, he’ll finally talk to us about his crush on Kenji,” She whispered, in case he was waiting outside the room.

“Yes. God,  _ yes _ , we have to. Plus, I’m tired of not being able to hold your hand. Or be generally gross and sweet with you.” Yaz smiled, pressing a quick kiss to Sammy’s cheek right before Ben walked in, his arms overflowing with soft, cuddly building materials.

“Where should I put this stuff?” Ben could barely see Sammy point to one of the chairs over his stack of neatly-folded bedding. He gently placed it down, not wanting it to topple over. He plopped down on the armchair again, sighing exaggeratedly.

“Ben, there’s something you need to know.” Yasmina wanted to get the hard part out of the way, partially because of nerves and partially because she wanted him to finally admit his feelings for Kenji. 

“Okay, you know you can tell me anything,” Ben reassured her. Usually in this situation, his mind would be racing, but he knew the gist of what was going to happen.

“Sammy and I are dating. Romantically. We’re girlfriends,” she prattled, unnecessarily nervous.

“Okay…”

“Girlfriends as in we kiss and go on dates and stuff,” she clarified even further, just in case he hadn’t gotten the hint. He could be exceedingly oblivious; he hadn’t noticed Kenji’s obvious feelings toward him, after all.

“No, uh, I got that much.” He chuckled. “I love you guys. Not te way you love each other, but still. You’re two of the most important people in my life, nothing will change that! Certainly not this.” Yaz smiled at this sentimentally.

“The same goes for you, Benny boy.” Ben winced at the terrible nickname and Sammy cackled, nearly snorting with laughter at her secretly-dorky girlfriend. It felt good to have everything out in the open. Well,  _ almost _ everything…

“So, Ben…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I have something to tell you guys too. I’m… I- uh, geez this is difficult.”

“Have you ever, y’know, said it out loud?” Sammy asked, a little worried that Ben was feeling pressured.

“No, no I haven’t” Ben rubbed his temples; as if doing so would help him summon the mental strength to go through with this.

“You don’t have to, Ben. This is something you should have complete control over.”

“No, I know. I want to, I just need a second.” He inhaled sharply, holding his breath for a few moments. “I like Kenji!” he blurted. “I really really like Kenji and it sort of terrifies me because, despite the obvious, adorable dorkiness, he’s really cool. I’m not nearly as cool as him, and I don’t want to be, but it’s still intimidating to like the cool kid. I just don’t know if he’ll ever see me that way, it’s so hard to tell! Especially since he flirts with  _ everyone. _ ”

“He doesn’t flirt with everyone, Ben. What are you talking about?”

“You know how he is! He’s always flirting with everyone in the group and ever since we got back from the island he’s been super affectionate and sweet and touchy. I’m not saying it’s bad, it just makes it hard for me to get a good read on him.”

“Ben, he literally only ever flirts with you. You wanna know how I can tell the difference?” Yaz raised her eyebrows, waiting for Ben to indulge her.

“How?” He asked, both suspicious and curious.

“You’re the only person he gets nervous around!”

Ben blinked in surprise, trying to think back to all of his interactions with Kenji. He’d never noticed if Kenji was nervous or not, he was mostly focused on his own, terrifying feelings

“Even if that’s true, what am I supposed to do about it?”

“Luckily for you, you’re sitting on the biggest opportunity of the year,” Sammy grinned, jumping into an explanation without being prompted. That night, as they huddled together in their cozy blanket fort, a plan was hatched.

~~

None of the kids were particularly religious. They hadn’t put too much thought into it because, well, they’re still young and they have plenty of time ahead of them to consider it.

However, they still got together sometime in mid-December to celebrate their little, funky found family. During their party, they would exchange Secret Santa gifts, eat lots of sweets, watch holiday movies and just enjoy their time together. Sammy always liked to host because her home was big enough to fit everyone and she knew Kenji preferred to be away from his house.

Everyone piled into Sammy’s living room, leaving gifts in a designated area and helping themselves to a tray of snacks set out by Mr. Gutierrez. As everyone settled in, Sammy and Yaz stood in front of the group.

“Hey you guys, thank you so much for coming! Yasmina and I just wanted to let you all know that for the past few weeks, we’ve been… romantically involved.” Sammy’s grin didn’t falter one bit; she knew there was nothing to be worried about.

“Dating, just say dating, babe,” Yaz added, though her frustration wasn’t even slightly genuine.

Brooklynn grinned, she and Darius clapped politely in support as Kenji whooped ridiculously, causing Yaz to roll her eyes and flip him off before she and Sammy sat back down.

Many snacks, a few random bursts of karaoke started by Kenji, and a food-catching contest riddled with failure later, they decided to break out the Secret Santa gifts.

Darius went first, handing a small, yellow gift bag to Sammy. She pulled out a travel mug covered with little farm animal designs and something surrounded with crumpled paper. When she cautiously peeled the layers back, she squealed and revealed a miniature cow figurine.

“Darius, that’s so thoughtful of you, thank you!” She gave him a quick hug and grateful smile before rewrapping the figurine and putting it back in the bag with the mug.

Yasmina went next, placing a thin box wrapped with silver paper in front of Darius. He opened it to reveal Dr. Malcolm’s new book and a sketch of Darius and Bumpy she’d made. He grinned and thanked her profusely as they moved along. 

Sammy had had some trouble finding something to get for Brooklynn. Brooklynn was famous, and had quite a bit of money; Sammy didn’t know what she’d need. Then, she’d remembered Brooklynn always cranking up the heat at home and hanging close to Darius (who ran as warm as a furnace) when they hung out at each others’ places.

Brooklynn was plenty happy with a pack of fruity-flavored gum, some cute stickers, and a large, fluffy pink blanket and let Sammy know how much she appreciated the gifts.

Despite how it looked, Kenji and Yasmina were really close. The arguing, rudeness, and teasing had been their way of showing it as long as they’ve been friends. Kenji had no trouble finding someone to custom-make a new sketchbook for her and picked out a few high-quality pencils to go along with it. Yaz refused to thank him, but they both knew how much she appreciated it. 

Brooklynn could read people. It was her thing, it’s very useful when it comes to being a content creator. She didn’t need to read Ben, though; he’s always been an open book. Hand sanitizer, crayons, and a large, warm hoodie would easily do the trick, and his smile proved her right.

“Kenji, that just leaves you,” Ben said, holding out a dark green shoebox with a silver ribbon stuck to the lid. “Go ahead, open it,” he encouraged. His heart was pounding as he tried to calm himself with a deep breath.

_ The damage is already done, _ he thought, as Kenji carefully tore the tape off of the box’s lid and opened it,  _ there’s no point in stressing out about it now. _

Kenji pulled a white baseball cap out of the box, his expression curious yet a little confused. He turned it around to see a small bundle of leaves stuck to the hat’s bill. He looked back in the box to see a small card. As he pulled it out, Ben took the box and set it aside so Kenji could open the cardstock message.

“Put the hat on first,” Ben suggested, fiddling with his hands anxiously. Kenji obeyed and unfolded the note.

On the inside, there were green, hand-drawn doodles of plants, all of them just like the one on his hat. There was also an inscription in a careful type of handwriting that could only belong to Ben:

_ I mistle-totally want to kiss you _

Kenji’s eyebrows shot up in shock as he dropped the small paper. He looked to Ben, searching for answers he already knew.

“So?” Ben’s voice was much quieter than usual and his body language was the textbook definition of “sheepish”.

Kenji swallowed thickly, and just like that, everything else in the room had vanished. All Kenji could recognize was himself, frozen with surprise, and Ben, nervously expecting some sort of response.

Kenji rallied his senses and nodded, slowly but surely bringing himself back to reality, only to be (metaphorically) knocked off of his feet once again when Ben stood on his toes to acquaint his lips with Kenji’s. Kenji barely registered his own eyes fluttering closed as he scrambled for a single coherent thought. The first one he could recognize was  _ Ben _ , closely followed by  _ kissing _ and  _ mistletoe _ . That alone was enough to bring him back to the present, as it wasn’t something he’d like to miss out on. Just as Ben began to pull away, only making it a few short centimeters, Kenji placed a hand on his cheek and brought him back in. There were cheers from their friends but they weren’t clearly recognized. All that was left of Ben and Kenji’s worlds was each other for a few blissful moments.

As they broke apart, their smiles were impossible to suppress.

“Gee, take me out on a date first,” Kenji teased, mostly because he was unable to think of anything else to fill the silence that settled between them like a thick, cool snowfall.

“Yeah,” Ben smiled fondly, “I think I will.”


End file.
